In this together
by Rinne
Summary: They say that friends help you move, but true friends help you move bodies. What happens when Allison has a dream about Don and Charlie? Drabble series. Chapter 14-16 added. COMPLETE
1. In this together

Title: In this together

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Gen, Crossover with Medium, AU

Characters: Don, Charlie, Allison, Joe

Challenge: Special prompt "Together" for lj comm numb3rs100

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: Own nothing, not being paid.

Word Count: 200

Summary: They say that friends help you move, but true friends help you move bodies.

* * *

They say that friends help you move, but true friends help you move bodies.

Big brothers help you move bodies, destroy the evidence and frame someone else.

* * *

Don leaned on the shovel, breathing hard. It was done. Charlie stood shell-shocked beside him, shaking slightly. They couldn't go back home the way they were; Don was sweaty and dirty and Charlie looked like he'd killed somebody. They'd have to clean up somewhere and get some stiff drinks into Charlie to calm down.

"We're in this together, buddy." Don put his arm around Charlie and walked back to the hire car. There wasn't a glance back at the disturbed earth, not even once. Don put the shovel in the trunk before getting into the driver's seat. He reached across and opened the glove box, revealing a gun, cell phone and FBI badge.

* * *

Allison woke up with a start, waking Joe in the process.

"You need to call somebody?" he asked, his voice sleepy.

"Not yet," she replied, turning back on her side. She didn't know their names or where they were. There'd be more dreams, and she'd find out all about the FBI agent and his brother. Then she'd call someone.

TBC...


	2. Accidents do happen

Title: Accidents do happen

Series: In this together, 2/?

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Gen, crossover between Numb3rs and Medium

Characters: Don, Charlie, Allison

Challenge: 97 accident for lj comm numb3rs100

Spoilers: none for this part

Disclaimer: Own nothing, not being paid.

Word count: 200

A/N: Now I've finished off a long Numb3rs fic (off with betas), I'll get working on this again. I'd promised never to post WIPs again! Quickly betaed by the lovely starrylizard.

Summary: They say that friends help you move, but true friends help you move bodies.

* * *

"I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to. Don, you have to believe me, I didn't mean to."

Don looked up from the man's body on the ground, his fingers still resting on the neck in a futile but automatic check for a pulse.

"I believe you," he said, "but Charlie..." He shook his head. "This isn't going to look good and considering everything else that has gone on..."

Charlie slumped against the brick wall, his hand over his mouth in horror. "I'm going to be charged with murder, aren't I? I'm going to go to prison."

Don shook his head again. "I won't lie to you; it doesn't look good."

Charlie slid down the wall, shaking, as Don studied the body and looked around the area. There was no-one else around.

"But maybe there's something we can do about that." Don stood up from his crouch. "You do too much good, Charlie, to go to prison. I can't let that happen."

* * *

Allison opened her eyes. She now had first names and a look at the man that Charlie had accidentally killed or murdered. Two nights in a row she had dreamed about the brothers, odds were she would again.

TBC...


	3. What's in a name?

Title: What is in a name?

Series: In this together, 3/?

Rating: PG-13

Characters: Don, Charlie, Allison, Joe

Challenge: 38 discovery for lj comm numb3rs100

Spoilers: none for this part

Disclaimer: Own nothing, not being paid.

Word count: 200

A/N: This and the next two parts betaed by krazykitkat

* * *

Don's cell rang and he answered it automatically without looking at the call display. "Eppes."

"Don, I screwed up, I screwed up big time. He's dead, I didn't mean to, but he's dead, and I don't know what to do. He's... I don't know what to do!"

Charlie's words came out in a rush and set alarm bells ringing in Don's brain. When Charlie got to the word 'dead', Don looked around at the members of his team and gestured to David that he had to take the call, before moving far enough away that they wouldn't be able to hear him.

"Charlie," he said quietly, "where are you?"

"I don't know, I can't think. I should call the police."

"No!" Don said. What Charlie was saying didn't sound good and Don didn't want any police there before himself. "Not yet. Just tell me where you are, Charlie."

* * *

"Eppes," Allison whispered to herself when she woke up. "Don and Charlie Eppes."

Joe stirred sleepily beside her. "Al, you okay?"

She turned and patted him on the arm. "Yeah, I'm fine, go back to sleep. Just have to look something up."

"Okay," he murmured as she got out of bed.

"Eppes."


	4. Everything happens for a reason

Title: Everything happens for a reason

Series: In this together, 4/?

Characters: Allison, Joe

Spoilers: none for this part

Disclaimer: Own nothing, not being paid.

Word count: 200

* * *

"Al, it's three in the morning. You need to sleep."

Joe's sleepy voice came from the doorway, startling her. She looked at the time in the corner of the laptop screen. Joe was right, she'd been up for an hour after her dream.

"Just a few more minutes," Allison said, clicking the next google link. It was a conference in three days time, held in Phoenix, and Charlie Eppes was a speaker. "That's it."

"What's 'it'?" Joe asked, scratching at his stubble as he joined her to look at the screen. "Huh, I'm going to that conference. Why are you looking at it?"

Allison turned to face him, surprised. "Really? Can I come too, on Friday?"

"I guess," Joe said, puzzlement in his voice. "You're probably not going to understand most of it, though. Is this about a dream?"

"That's okay, I don't think I need to understand the talks." Charlie Eppes' face stared back at her from the screen. "And yeah, this about a dream. About him." She pointed at Charlie's face. "And his brother."

"Charlie Eppes? _The _Charlie Eppes? Al, please tell me he's not going to die."

"He's not going to die. He's going to kill somebody."


	5. Wise idea

Title: Wise idea

Series: In this together, 5/?

Characters: Allison, Joe

Spoilers: none for this part

Disclaimer: Own nothing, not being paid.

Word count: 200

* * *

"Okay, let me see whether I've got this right. Charlie Eppes killed a man and his brother, who is an FBI agent, covered it up."

Allison squirmed to get comfortable, her eyes still adjusting to the dark of their bedroom. "Yeah, that's about right."

"And Charlie Eppes is going to be speaking at a conference here, this week, which is probably why you're dreaming about it."

Her dreams tended to be about things that were local. There were others like her across the country, dreaming about things outside of Phoenix. "Yeah."

"What are you going to do, go up to him and say 'Hi, I'm Allison Dubois and I had a dream about you killing a man and your _FBI agent_ brother helping you cover it up'?"

It didn't sound good when Joe put it that way. "Something like that." Allison allowed some irritation to creep into her voice.

"Something like that, she says. His brother is an FBI agent and fairly low on scruples from what you're saying. I'm not sure whether that's such a wise idea."

"His brother won't be here." She turned away from Joe. "Go to sleep, we've got to get up in a few hours."

TBC...


	6. A meeting and a greeting

Title: A meeting and a greeting

Characters: Allison, Joe, Charlie

Challenge: 123 Professor for numb3rs100

Spoilers: up to end of season 5 of Numb3rs, general season 5 of Medium

Disclaimer: Own nothing, not being paid.

Word count: 200

A/N: Thank you to krazykitkat for the beta for this part and the next.

* * *

If she didn't know better Allison would have thought that Charlie Eppes was the most ordinary guy in the world. As Joe had promised, she had understood almost nothing in the lectures, but she hadn't really been listening to Charlie's anyway. Instead she'd been studying him, trying to see the monster that had to lie underneath the surface of the charismatic speaker in front of her.

Soon the lecture was over and they were breaking for lunch. Joe knew that she wanted to talk to Charlie, so they made their way down to the front of the auditorium into the crush of people waiting for a moment of his time. The crowd rapidly thinned out, many people hearing the answers that they wanted as other people asked questions, until Allison, Joe and the tech person responsible for making sure the talks ran properly were the only other people left in the room.

Charlie smiled at them in greeting as they moved up to him and Joe put his hand out to shake.

"Hi, I'm Joe Dubois, and this is my wife Allison."

"Professor Eppes," Allison said as she put out her own hand.

"Please, call me Charlie."

Their hands clasped.


	7. The plot thickens

Title: And the plot thickens

Characters: Allison, Joe, Charlie, Don

Challenge: 4 Learning for numb3rs100

Disclaimer: Own nothing, not being paid.

Word count: 200

* * *

Don took his eyes off the road to glance at Charlie. Charlie was slumped in his seat, staring out the window. There was a hint of tears at the corner of the eye that Don could see.

"It's going to be okay," Don said, reaching out and squeezing Charlie's shoulder. When he got no response, Don sighed and moved his hand to the radio, turning the volume up. He was tired and needed something that would keep him awake. Running your rental car off the road near a dead body you'd just buried was never a good idea.

Don brought his hand back to the wheel. He'd used a bottle of water to wash off most of the dirt and grime but there was still a lot under his short fingernails. Another thing to take care of before going home.

The DJ's voice came over as the song finished. "Only ten days left until the opening ceremony of the London Olympics!"

* * *

Allison abruptly snapped back to Charlie shaking her hand. Charlie and his brother had been wearing the same clothes as when they'd buried the body. They looked the same, too.

The London Olympics weren't going to be until 2012.

TBC...


	8. Trying to explain

Title: Trying to explain

Challenge: 9 Future for numb3rs100

Disclaimer: Own nothing, not being paid.

Word count: 200

Spoilers: up to end of season 5 of Numb3rs, general season 5 of Medium

A/N: I suddenly had a break through and finished writing the entire series yesterday, so the rest of this will be posted regularly over the next couple of weeks.

* * *

"Professor Eppes...Charlie," Allison said, releasing his hand. "I work for the District Attorney's office here in Phoenix. I was wondering whether I could have a word with you?"

"Ah, sure," Charlie said, clearly surprised. "I guess you want me to do some consulting?"

"Not exactly," Allison replied, smiling at the tech person as she walked past. They now would be able to talk in private. "What I do for the District Attorney is provide him with information about crimes, or people, that only the perpetrator knows." She took a deep breath. "And I wanted to talk to you because I have information about a crime that you're going to commit and can prevent." She held up her hand as Charlie opened his mouth. "Please, Professor Eppes, let me finish. In 2012, ten days before the London Olympics, you're going to accidentally kill someone. A man. And your brother is going to help you cover it up."

Charlie's expression said it all: disdain and disbelief. "Mrs Dubois, my brother is an FBI agent."

"I know."

"I don't know what possible gain you think you can get from such a preposterous lie about things you can't possibly know, but please leave."

TBC...


	9. Well, that went well

Title: Well, that went well

Characters: Allison, Joe, Charlie, Don

Challenge: 37 Resistance for numb3rs100

Disclaimer: Own nothing, not being paid.

Word count: 200

Spoilers: up to end of season 5 of Numb3rs, general season 5 of Medium

* * *

"Professor..." Allison started.

Charlie shook his head, clearly angry. "Leave, before I call security. And Mr Dubois, I suggest you get your wife some help, rather than pandering to her delusions. Assuming that they are delusions, and you're not just trying to run some con."

"Come on, Al," Joe murmured, gently grabbing hold of Allison's arm and trying to pull her away. She resisted, pulling out of his grip.

"I assure you, Professor, it's very real. Just google me." Seeing that she still wasn't making an impact, she walked out of the auditorium, Joe following after her.

"Well, that went well," Joe said once they got to the parking lot.

"Shut up."

"Hey, don't take it out on me. I warned you."

Allison stopped, forcing Joe to do the same. "So how exactly am I meant to warn people about future events if they don't even believe in what I do, huh, Joe? How exactly am I meant to start that conversation, seeing as you apparently know so much. What, should I just ignore the dreams, because nobody is going to believe me?"

"I didn't say that. You tried, that's all you can do." Joe pulled her into a hug.

TBC...


	10. Nothing changed

Title: Nothing Changed

Characters: Allison, Joe, Charlie, Don

Challenge: 99 Fight for numb3rs100

Disclaimer: Own nothing, not being paid.

Word count: 200

Spoilers: up to end of season 5 of Numb3rs, general season 5 of Medium

* * *

"What the hell is wrong with you? You've been acting like an asshole the last few weeks," Don hissed.

"Ow, you're hurting me." Charlie rubbed his arm once Don let it go.

"Sorry, I didn't mean—Just, what's going on, Charlie? Did I do something?"

Charlie walked back over to the black board, eyes scanning across the equations on it. "No, no, you didn't do anything," he replied distractedly.

Don rubbed a hand across his face, weary. "Then why are you avoiding me?"

"I just—" Charlie turned back to him, the distress he felt obvious in the way his brow furrowed. "I can't stop thinking about it. I killed someone, Don."

Don quickly looked at the doorway. "Shut up, Chuck. You can't say that here. You can't say that anywhere. What's done is done...and remember, you're not the only one implicated in this."

"I know," Charlie whispered. "But I don't know whether I can live with this."

* * *

"Mommy! Mommy!"

Allison was out of bed and heading to Bridget's room before she was even fully awake. It had been several days since she'd met Charlie Eppes but that had been the first dream she'd had. She hadn't managed to change anything.

TBC...


	11. The other brother appears

Title: The other brother appears

Characters: Allison, Don

Challenge: 50 Prompts Celebration Prompt - Brother for numb3rs100

Disclaimer: Own nothing, not being paid.

Word count: 200

Spoilers: up to end of season 5 of Numb3rs, general season 5 of Medium

* * *

"Mrs Dubois?"

Allison looked up to find Don Eppes standing on the other side of her desk. Surprise chased by fear flooded through her system and from his slight wince she thought that he'd caught the reaction.

Allison stood up, not wanting to appear intimidated. "Agent Eppes, what can I do for you?"

"Could we talk, in private?"

She blinked, surprised. "Ah, sure, in here." She gestured to the conference room and led him to it.

Allison stayed silent, wanting to force him to explain why he'd come to see her. Don prowled around the room, before perching on the edge of one of the tables.

"Charlie, my brother—but then, I guess you know that." He gave her a wry smile that caused the corners of his eyes to crinkle, transforming him from a tired Federal Agent to a charming man who'd catch the eye of most women. "He told me about meeting you, about what you said. Ranted, actually." There was another hint of a smile, before he turned serious again. "He told me what you said, about looking you up, so I did."

"And am I delusional or a con man?"

"I don't know what you are."

* * *

TBC...


	12. Being openminded

Title: Being open-minded

Characters: Allison, Don

Challenge: 133 Evidence for numb3rs100

Disclaimer: Own nothing, not being paid.

Word count: 200

Spoilers: up to end of season 5 of Numb3rs, general season 5 of Medium

* * *

"Well, I suppose that's a better reaction than your brother's."

Don got up off the edge of the desk and moved to stand next to the window, looking out. He glanced back at Allison. "Charlie's a scientist, he doesn't believe in psychics or God, that's just who he is. I'm a little more open-minded. I've had to work with a few psychics over my time in the FBI and some of them..." He shook his head. "They left me even more open-minded. Plus, I made a few phone calls about you. You've got a lot of fans."

"So maybe you believe that what I say I can do is true. Why are you here?" Allison asked.

Don ran his right hand through his hair. "I have a hard time believing that Charlie could kill someone and that I could cover it up, but if I ignored every piece of information that I had a hard time believing in, I wouldn't be very good at my job." He paused. "I need to know about the man that you say Charlie is going to kill, about where it happens, when, so I can stop it from happening."

Finally, something Allison could do.

* * *

TBC...


	13. A thank you

Title: A Thank You

Characters: Allison, mystery Numb3rs character

Challenge: 1 Conversation for numb3rs100

Disclaimer: Own nothing, not being paid.

Word count: 200

Spoilers: up to end of season 5 of Numb3rs, general season 5 of Medium

* * *

Allison wasn't sure what had woken her. She climbed carefully out of bed, trying not to disturb Joe's sleep, and quietly peeked in on the girls on her way to the kitchen. All three were sleeping peacefully.

"Thank you, Allison."

Allison gasped, almost dropping the glass that she was filling into the sink. She turned around and saw an older woman standing next to the table, a woman with a pleasant face and curly, blonde hair.

"Who are you and what are you doing in my house?" Allison asked defensively.

The woman smiled and it almost looked familiar. "I'm here because you helped my sons. My name is Margaret Eppes."

"Charlie and Don," Allison said at a loud whisper, not wanting to wake her family.

"Yes. Sometimes I can visit Charlie in his dreams, but that's all he thinks they are, dreams. For some reason I've never been able to reach Don, and Alan, their father, it hurts him too much to see me now. So, thank you, Don will be able to stop Charlie from accidentally killing that poor man. I'm just sorry that we had to lie to them."

Allison's eyes widened at the words. "Lie to them?"

* * *

TBC...


	14. An Explanation

Title: An Explanation

Characters: Allison, Mystery Numb3rs Character

Challenge: 43 Manipulation for numb3rs100

Disclaimer: Own nothing, not being paid.

Word count: 200

Spoilers: up to end of season 5 of Numb3rs, general season 5 of Medium

* * *

"Yes. Don would never have covered something like that up. It's not his nature, not even for his brother. He would have trusted in the legal system. I didn't like giving him those doubts about himself, but I was afraid that they wouldn't take it seriously enough, that Charlie wouldn't take it seriously enough, unless it involved Don as well."

Allison was outraged, on both Don and Charlie's behalf and her own. "You manipulated my dreams? How could you!"

"I'm sorry, it had to be done. I couldn't take the risk."

The woman did seem genuinely sorry, but that wasn't enough to appease Allison. "Not good enough! I do not like being used that way. If you wanted to help your sons, why didn't you let me see more of what happened to Don, because I'm assuming that was you, stopping me from getting more than a glimpse."

"Don?"

Allison nodded. "What I saw, when I shook his hand. The hospital, him hurt, possibly dying. His heart stopping."

"Ah, the stabbing." Margaret looked down and when she looked back up Allison could see pain in her eyes. "That's-that's unfortunately necessary. He'll be okay. Don's strong. Just, thank you, Allison."

* * *

TBC...


	15. Dead people are complicated

Title: Dead People are Complicated

Characters: Allison, Joe

Disclaimer: Own nothing, not being paid.

Word count: 200

Spoilers: up to end of season 5 of Numb3rs, general season 5 of Medium

* * *

"So, let me get this straight. Don and Charlie's mother, who's dead, manipulated your dreams so that you'd think that Charlie would kill a man and his brother would help cover it up. But in reality, while Charlie would accidentally kill a man, Don wouldn't have helped him cover it up—and she didn't even want you to warn her own son that he was going to get stabbed?" Joe's rising voice at the end of the sentence reflected his disbelief.

"Yep, that about sums it up." Allison handed him back the beer bottle and he took a swig.

"Wow. That's just screwed up. I'm not sure whether I'd want her for a mother."

Allison sighed, leaning into Joe. "I don't know. She did seem to be genuinely sorry about lying to them, and to me. She thought it was the only way."

"How about coming to you in a dream and saying 'Hey Allison, my son is going to accidentally kill somebody, but he'll never listen to you, so why don't you talk to his brother, you might be able to convince him.' That might've worked."

Allison laughed and then sobered. "But the question is, do I tell them?"

* * *

TBC...


	16. Decision made

Title: Decision Made

Characters: Allison, Joe

Disclaimer: Own nothing, not being paid.

Word count: 100

Spoilers: up to end of season 5 of Numb3rs, general season 5 of Medium

* * *

"About their mother manipulating your dreams, that Don wouldn't have covered it up and the stabbing? I don't know Allison, I mean, from the sounds of it, you hadn't really convinced Don anyway, this would just give him more doubts and make you sound even crazier."

Allison nodded. "You're right. And knowing that it was their mother? I don't think they could handle that."

Joe took another sip of the beer. "Even the stabbing. What do you know? He gets stabbed, is in hospital and his heart stops. That's it."

"You're right, again."

Allison could do nothing more for them.

--FIN--


End file.
